(Pierre) – The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office received the Award for Best Online Consumer Outreach at the Summer Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG). The award honors states whose websites have distinguished themselves in the last year either through site content, visual appeal, user friendliness, or consumer services.

“South Dakota is on the leading edge of consumer outreach with its online helpdesk. There isn’t one other state in the Western United States that offers live online public information. We’re extremely impressed with their innovation,” said Linda Brughelli, spokesperson for CWAG.

The Attorney General’s website has a live link that allows users to chat with an Attorney General staff member.

“We’re always looking for a better way to serve consumers,” said Chief Deputy Attorney General Larry Long. “With the live help feature people can log on and ask general information questions. This last year we had nearly 1,000 live information requests.”

The live help feature can be accessed by visiting the Attorney General website at http://atg.sd.gov/ and clicking on the live help button.

Deputy Attorney General Charles McGuigan also received special recognition at the CWAG conference. Charles received the Jim Jones Award for his dedication to public service and contribution to not only South Dakota, but other states in the Western U.S.